And yes, that civic pride is not a bad reason to get on the Ticat bandwagon this weekend as Ivor Wynne Stadium hosts the Cats' first home playoff game since 2001.

But the best reason to get yourself down to the stadium for the Eastern semi-final matchup between the Cats and the B.C. Lions, their Western crossover opponent, is a simple one.

Fun. Lots of it. For everybody.

Sunday represents the cosmic confluence of on-field and off-field efforts. It will be the proof that the on-field performance of this team was worth waiting for, and that the exemplary off-field efforts of the football club were not in vain.

Make no mistake. The Ticats are -- and have long been -- an important facet of our identity as Hamiltonians. It doesn't matter whether you're a Canadian Football League fan, or a football fan at all. Like the smokestacks and the Escarpment, the Skyway Bridge and Cootes Paradise, the Tiger-Cats and Hamilton are synonymous.

We have long argued that the Tiger-Cats, under the ownership of Bob Young, have made huge leaps forward in the marketing of the team and the Ivor Wynne experience. The fan experience has improved immensely through the energetic creativity, quickness and spirit of the team's front office staff. Continued....